What Sets Us Apart

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Our Philosophy

As trained language clinicians, Drs. Katz and Pierson understand how language undergirds reading, spelling, writing and learning. We also have doctoral degrees in education, with a focus in literacy, language, and learning disabilities.

Unlike tutors, who may or not be teachers or who have training in one specific program/method; reading specialists who have backgrounds in reading, not language; or SLPs who have a background in language, not reading; we have a comprehensive understanding of and skill set in assessing and treating language, reading, spelling, writing, and learning difficulties.

We understand language, we understand literacy, and we understand learning and utilize these understandings in evidenced-based assessment and intervention. In other words, in our sessions we respond in the moment to our client’s behaviors, responses, and questions.

We understand that individuals’ patterns of strength and weakness are not all the same; therefore, at 3LI we believe that one size does not fit all. Both our assessments and our therapy services are customized to meet the needs of each individual client.

We value family.

We believe that families are important to the therapy process and therefore encourage families to observe sessions. We have designed our clinical space so that parents can observe their children through a one-way mirror and see first-hand what are we are doing and how we are doing it.

Literacy and Language Assessment

Our expertise in literacy, language, and learning guides our development of individualized and comprehensive diagnostic assessments. We do not have a standard battery of tests that we administer to every client. Instead, we carefully select evidenced-based measures, both standardized and informal, to gather a comprehensive picture of each of our client’s literacy and language skills.

Our expertise allows us to critically analyze, not just test scores, but patterns of error and patterns of strength and weakness. Our assessments do not just result in a diagnosis; they identify where and how to begin intervention. Therefore, after the assessment, our clients do not require an additional assessment; they are ready to begin therapy.

Literacy and Language Therapy

We draw from a variety of therapy programs and methods that have been empirically studied and shown to be effective. Therefore, we do not administer any particular program.

We teach skills and strategies and approach intervention from the perspective of “scaffolding” (Vygotsky) the client’s development of new skills. In other words, we are always providing the client with just enough support to allow him or her to meet with success on a given task or objective. Over time, the aim is to gradually release the responsibility of the clinician so that the client masters the skill and becomes an independent learner. We always begin with a plan, but we recognize when teachable moments occur and we capitalize on those moments to make the most of intervention and learning. Additionally, our philosophy and approach allows us to adjust immediately when something is not working.

Criteria for mastery are developed by the client’s performance and individual needs in concert with clinical judgment. There is no program that dictates the pace of intervention or the criteria for mastery.